The Herald was mistakenly told adjunct faculty members received letters about their positions being eliminated. However, after further reporting and clarification it was revealed instructors were the actual recipients. The Herald regrets this error and has corrected the story. 

WKU instructors have begun receiving letters to let them know if they will continue their employment at WKU next year.

Director of Media Relations Bob Skipper said all instructors have to be notified by Dec. 15 whether or not they will be rehired. He said five instructors within the Ogden College of Science and Engineering were notified they would not be rehired. 

Instructors are rank given to full-time non-tenure eligible faculty. 

“It’s not so much a cost saving measure as it is a measure of need,” Skipper said. “If there’s not a demand for the class, there’s no need to supply the faculty member if you’re not going to have the class.”

Last year, all instructors were rehired after issues with former Provost Terry Ballman’s work with the system.

“There’s nothing unusual,” Skipper said. “We go through this process every year and it’s kind of the ebb and flow of what the demands are for classes and there’ll be some shifting of adjunct faculty [instructors].”

In 2018, WKU employed 188 full professors, 223 associate professors and 132 assistant professors, according to the WKU fact book. The fact book also says the rank of assistant professor has decreased by 26% over the past five years, while the full professor rank has risen by 15%.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available. 

News reporter Lily Burris can be reached at 270-745-6011 and [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @lily_burris.

Reporter Jack Dobbs can be reached at 270-745-0655 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @jackrdobbs.